Abstract: With Donald Trump on the brink of being sworn in as the new president, relations between U.S. and Russia are also on the verge of rapprochement. The incoming administration, which sees Moscow as an ally in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Syria, is likely to explore ways of improving relations. However, the prospects for strategic realignment between Russia and the U.S. in the Middle East and elsewhere, remain unclear. Russia has no willingness or capacity to replace America as a regional hegemon and underwrite political stability there. The uncertain developments on the ground in Syria and the wider region, as well as the responses of local players such as Iran, Turkey and the Gulf countries, will inhibit collective action. Hence, the relationship is likely to remain transactional. In the longer term, Moscow and Washington may fall back into the familiar cyclical pattern where moments of cooperation are followed by confrontation and conflict.
About the Author:
Senior Associate Fellow at Al Sharq Forum. Dimitar particularly focuses on Russian foreign policy towards the Middle East and North Africa region. He is a Visiting Scholar at the Center for European Studies, Harvard University, and is also the director of the European Policy Institute, a think-tanked institute based in Sofia. Former positions filled by Dimitar include Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Dr Bechev has published widely on EU external relations, the politics and modern history of South East Europe including Turkey and Greece, and Russian foreign policy. He is the author of Constructing South East Europe: The Politics of Balkan Regional Cooperation (2011) and editor of a number of collective volumes such as What Does Turkey Think (ECFR, 2011). His scholarly articles have appeared in leading periodicals such as the Journal of Common Market Studies and East European Politics and Societies. Dr Bechev is also a regular contributor to Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, openDemocracy, Politico, EUObserver and others.
Research Interests: Russia’s Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East and North Africa, EU External relations, and Politics of South East Europe.